The Devil's Shadow
by shadowbleach
Summary: Has anyone ever noticed that the Devil Bats don't have a coach until Doburoku? Well, I decided to fix that and add a little romance for good measure. Hiruma/OC
1. Prologue

The Devil's Shadow

Author's Note: Normally, I wouldn't start a new story while I have two others going, but the Super Bowl is next weekend and the best football team ever is playing (Go Green Bay!), so I made an exception. The first chapter is a year before the start of the series, but the other chapters will be during the series, with flashbacks throughout it.

Also, I should mention, regular text is Japanese, underlined is English, and italics is a flashback. Just so there's no confusion.

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership to anything but my original character (which isn't really all that original, because I've used her in all of my stories).

Shadow had been facing the back wall of her office, reading files, when the door behind her burst open. She had just started her new job of Club and Sports Team Administrator for Deimon High School and she had loads of files to go through, students to meet with, and requests for clubs and sports teams to approve or deny.

"Can I help you?" She asked, not turning around. Then, there was a sound that she recognized as a gun being cocked.

"We're starting an American Football team," responded a male voice.

"Isn't that my decision to make?" Shadow retorted. She heard whispers, mumbles, and threats from what she guessed were three people, all boys. "Doesn't matter." She said, and the sounds stopped.

"What?" The question was simultaneous from all three.

"Didn't you hear me? I said it doesn't matter." she reached into a file cabinet and pulled out a piece of paper.

While she was doing so, the three boys waiting behind her could see that she had shoulder-length black hair and she was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, pants, and gloves (basically, they couldn't see any of her skin).

"Do you have a coach?"

"Do we need one?" Came the first voice, in a-very obviously-threatening tone.

"Yes, you do. No coach, no team. No exceptions."

"That rule can be changed." Shadow rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I don't make the rules. Besides, how hard is it to convince someone to be your coach?"

"Can…anyone be a coach?" This was another of the boys, but it was more hesitant than the first.

"If they're an adult, then yes. It should be a teacher, but they don't have to be."

"What about you?" The first boy again.

"What about me?" When she had said the coach could be anyone, she hadn't really thought about herself. She was much too busy to baby-sit a bunch of idiot football-wannabes.

"You'll be our coach." 'Will,' not 'should' or 'could.' He wasn't asking, he was telling.

"Oh? And what makes you think I'd want to be your coach?"

"Because you're American." He spoke in perfect English. Shadow's eyes widened slightly. How had he known that?

She composed herself and stood, slowly turning to face the three. Two of them gasped, clearly not expecting her pale, very much white, skin. The one that wasn't surprised, she assumed he was the one who had made the comment, was blonde and had a large smirk on his face.

"So what if I am American? How do you know if I even like football?" He pointed to the file cabinet behind her. Laying on top of it was a book titled NFL Record and Fact Book.

"Oh, I forgot that was there…" The blonde's smirk just widened and that irritated her enough to tell him something she hadn't meant to tell anyone whom she didn't need to (her employers and that's about it). "I'm not an adult, I'm only 17." That dropped his annoying smirk, but only a little. She would have been pleased at this, had she not been mentally slapping herself.

"What do you mean you're only 17?"

"I was home schooled. I went to college and graduated earlier than most. I came here for the job, that's it. I don't have time to be your coach." She continued reluctantly.

"You don't have to be our coach." Shadow's face must have shown her confusion, because that annoying smirk of his was back full force. "You just need to sign the paper. I'll take care of whipping these idiots into shape." She was silent for a while, thinking this over. Suddenly, she slammed the paper onto the desk and signed it.

"There, happy now?" Before the blonde could say anything, another of the boys-a very large boy-cried out in joy and grabbed her in a back-breaking hug.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Shadow struggled to get out of his hold before the blonde boy kicked him in the back, causing him to drop her. She landed gracefully on her feet, but she rubbed her back in pain. "I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?"

"No, no. I'm fine. I've had worse." She slid the paper towards them and pointed to an empty line. "Since you three are starting the team, you all need to sign it. You'll also need the principle's approval, but that won't be hard to get. That guy's such a push-over."

They all signed the paper, took it, and went to leave. Just as they reached the door, Shadow stopped them.

"Hey, I need to talk to you for a minute." She requested to the blonde, who she now knew to be Yoichi Hiruma. He stayed behind while the others left. "How did you know I was American? We've never met." He smirked again, clearly enjoying the fact that she didn't know, but he decided to tell her anyway.

"The principal was showing you around. You didn't see me, but I saw you."

_Earlier that day:_

_Hiruma was watching the principal show the new Club and Sports Team Administrator the school grounds. He knew this because he had read the file for the job applications. She was the only girl, but she also had the best résumé. She had graduated from Notre Dame University, majoring in Sports Analysis _(like what the manager does, studying videos and other sources to understand the plays of the opposing team, but not just in football)_._

_She was looking at the field that he intended to use as the football field, when she made a comment to the principle._

"_There are no goal posts."_

"_Excuse me?" He clearly didn't know what she was referring to. She pointed in the general direction of where the end zone would be._

"_You don't have any goal posts. You know, for football."_

"_We don't have an American football team at this school."_

"_WHAT! How could you not have a football team? Just my luck that I would pick a school that doesn't have the best sport ever invented! I should have stayed in America!" Hiruma was very amused. He had thought that getting the new administrator to accept a football team would be more difficult. Clearly this was not the case._

"Ah, I see. That would explain some things. Don't worry, I'll make sure we get some goal posts soon." Shadow turned back to her work, signaling that he could go. He didn't seem to get the hint.

"I can take care of that." She looked at him and raised her eyebrow.

"How are you planning on doing that?" He patted his pocket, but didn't say anything. Shadow looked and saw a black book protruding from said pocket, with the word Threats written across the front. "Okay…well, I'll just let you do it then." She, again, turned back to her work and, again, he didn't leave. "Are you planning on standing there all day?"

"I'm just observing. Why, does it bother you?"

"Maybe it does. What's it to you?"

"Oh, nothing." He replied, his smirk turning to an evil grin.

"Yeah…That's nice. Now, if you wouldn't mind, could you…get out? I'm a little busy." He did leave that time and Shadow found that she couldn't focus on her work. All she could think about was the strange events of the day, and it was only her first day on the job. "This should be fun." She couldn't help but think.

A/N: Eh…I don't know if that was a good chapter or not. Oh well, I'm sure it will get better as I go along. As with any story I write, reviews are welcome, but I'm not pushing for them.


	2. New Recruit

The Devil's Shadow

Author's Note: I really wanted to put the next chapter up right away, so I did. So, this will be from the start of the series (in case you've forgotten). And also, in the past year, Hiruma and Shadow have already gotten together. How that happened will be revealed later in the story, so if you want to find out, you'll have to continue reading.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my character.

The day started like any other. Shadow went to work, to find Hiruma and Kurita already there practicing on the field. She watched until other students started showing up, then she wandered over to her office (because she doesn't like dealing with the annoying students unless she has to). She hadn't really gotten anything done when the door came flying open.

"Can't you knock like everybody else?" She asked Hiruma, who ignored her, dropping a bag on her desk. "What's that?" He reached in and pulled out a couple of sodas, sitting down in the seat across from her own. "Oh, thanks." Shadow replied absentmindedly, as she looked down at another paper.

"You work too hard." Hiruma commented as he yanked the paper out from under her hand.

"So do you. I just don't say anything about it." She retorted, reaching for the paper. He held it just out of her arm length.

"At least I'm doing something I like. You hate your job."

"That's not true. Not entirely…" The sound of the bell to start class rang then. "Shouldn't you be going to class now?" He shrugged, blowing a bubble with his gum. She reached up and popped it, causing him to glare at her. "Seriously, get to class."

"Fine, I'll get you back for that later."

"Sure you will." She replied sarcastically. He flashed his book of threats at her and she laughed. "We both know you have nothing in there that you could use against me."

"I do have one thing."

"But you wouldn't say anything. After all, that would get us both in trouble and you know it." She snatched back the paper he had taken from her. "Besides, even if you wouldn't get in trouble, you would never tell."

"How do you know I wouldn't?" Hiruma had stood up and was now invading her personal space. She just smiled at him, having gotten used to this.

"Because you love me too much." He scoffed.

"Love? I wouldn't do something so stupid."

"Other people may not be able to tell when you're lying, but I can see right through you." She closed the distance between them and laid a gentle kiss on his lips before pulling away and leaning back in her chair. "I thought you were going to class. Don't make me report you."

"You wouldn't do that." He answered after he got over his shock (which doesn't really take much).

"Wouldn't I?"

"No."

"Hmmm, you're probably right. But still, I'll see you later, now go." He smirked at her, but left without anymore trouble. That is, until Shadow looked up and realized that he'd taken the soda he'd brought her. "Damn him." She mumbled, shaking her head, but she was smiling.

After school, she didn't see him like she had said she would. She wandered over to the team clubhouse, where Kurita was acting like a kid in a candy store.

"What's with you?" He beamed at her before launching into a fully detailed account of his meeting with some boy named Sena and how he wanted to be the team's manager. "That sounds great. Less work I have to do."

"I know! It's going to be so much fun!" He beamed. "I have to go and tell Hiruma."

"He's not here?"

"No, he went to the store."

"What? He was just there this morning."

"Yeah, but he needed to get something else. I don't really know, he didn't tell me." Shadow sighed. "Were you looking for him too?"

"Yeah. It's not anything important, though." She waved him away and he bounded off, his happy mood never ending.

Later, Hiruma showed up again, towing another student with him. Shadow didn't really want to know, not yet, so she stayed away. She did, however, watch as Kurita and Hiruma exchanged their stories of new recruits. As it turned out, they were the same person.

After Sena had been forced into a uniform and was complaining about not wanted to play in the games, Shadow decided to introduce herself, scaring the poor boy with her sudden appearance.

"So, you're the new kid, huh? You don't look like anything special, but I hear you're a pretty good runner."

"Yeah," Hiruma commented. "He's got golden legs. He's going to win us some games."

"But I'm just the manager. I don't want to play in the games." The boy cried out.

"Oh, hush now." Shadow commanded. "You can't play in the games yet anyways, not until you've been added to the team's roster." She turned to Hiruma. "And you know how long that can take." He pulled out one of his guns, sending the boy into another panic, but Shadow just rolled her eyes. "Threats aren't going to make the process go any faster."

"It might."

"It won't, trust me." He smirked at her.

"We'll see about that."

The next morning, when Shadow got to the clubhouse, Hiruma was waiting for her with a piece of paper in his hand. She grabbed it from him and looked at the name Eyeshield 21 that now had a proud place on the team's roster.

"I hate you sometimes."

"I know. And I enjoy every minute of it." She ignored that, looking at him questioningly.

"Why aren't you at practice. Usually, you're already on the field."

"I'm waiting for the damn shrimp."

"Wow, how'd you convince him to come to practice…you didn't threaten him too, did you?"

"No, I told him we were having a team meeting."

"And he believed you? What a moron." He just laughed.

When Sena did arrive, nearly an hour later, he was quickly forced into a uniform and dragged onto the field. Shadow decided to stay and watch the whole time. There was no way she wanted to miss this. Kurita was already there, to no one's surprise-except Sena. Then Hiruma started yelling at him about breaking the equipment and Shadow sighed, knowing she could fix it easily, but enjoying the fear Hiruma obviously instilled in the new boy.

Sena didn't want to train, that much was clear to everyone, so when he almost started to on his own (the ladder drill), Shadow had to stifle her laughter. She watched them each do the 40-yard dash, intrigued, having never done it herself.

"The bazooka," she thought, "was a bit unnecessary. But it does make things more fun." That was nothing, however, compared to the fireworks. She rolled her eyes, because that was just over the top. Even so, she only felt the need to hit him when he called out Cerberus. "Is this really necessary?" she asked as Sena was running from the beastly dog.

"Yes," was Hiruma's simple answer. She sighed again and went to help the boy who was being used as a chew toy.

"Cerberus. Come here, boy." She called and he ran to her. Sena cried out in warning as Cerberus pounced on her, knocking her to the ground. What happened next was what he wasn't expecting. Cerberus started licking Shadow's face, clearly happy to see her. "Okay, okay, boy. I get it. Come on now, get off." She was laughing so hard she was crying by the time Hiruma pulled him off of her.

"He likes her?" Sena asked, confused at the dog's sudden change of behavior.

"Yes, he loves Shadow. She always brings him a treat." As he spoke, Shadow got her bag, reached in, and pulled out a big steak in a Ziploc bag. She took it out and hand fed it to him. He didn't once bite her. While she was doing that, the others went back to the clubhouse, Sena seeming to be scared for life from what he had just seen. She chained Cerberus back up, apologizing to him while she did, then joined the others.

"The guy who gets the least people gathered gets a penalty game." She heard Hiruma announce. Sena and Kurita left the clubhouse shortly after that, leaving Shadow alone with Hiruma.

"Don't you think that was a little harsh. The kid's new, he doesn't know anyone."

"That's the point. When he does a shitty job as manager, he'll have to be a player as punishment."

"You've really been thinking this through, haven't you?"

"Of course. This is the year, we're going to the Christmas Bowl." Shadow turned away to hide her smile.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "I believe it."

"You'd better." He retorted.

"Just don't be too hard on him, okay?"

"I'm not making any promises."

"Fine. But if he dies, don't blame me."

"I won't let him die."

"Good, now get to class." She walked out of the clubhouse, not waiting for him to follow, but she knew he would anyway, and he did.

"The teachers won't mind if I'm late."

"Only because you blackmail them into it."

"But it works."

"That it does. I'll see you at after school practice." She left him at the front of the school building, went to her office, and waited.

A/N: I didn't know where to end this one, so I just picked a spot. I hope it's not too crappy. If it is, oh well. I don't really care what anyone thinks, I just enjoy writing it.


	3. Truth and Reputation

The Devil's Shadow

Author's Note: I think my story has a decent start so far. I haven't really made Shadow's personality out like I wanted, but it'll get better as time goes on. I'm trying to follow the manga as closely as I can, but I'm going off the online one, so don't be mad if the dialogue seems wrong.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my character.

After school, Shadow waited for the team in the clubhouse. When Hiruma came in to put up his markers, she rolled her eyes at the sheer amount of people he had blackmailed into it.

"That is so pathetic," she told him. He gave her a look that would have most people reeling, but she just smiled back. "Just saying."

"You're just asking to be punished." He responded, setting the bucket down.

"I just like teasing you. Mainly because I'm the only one who can get away with it."

"Yeah, and you're lucky I let you." She scoffed.

"As if you could stop me." Then she looked at the board and frowned. "You only got seven." Hiruma shook his head.

"No, I got a lot more. This is just so the damn shrimp and fatty work harder to find people."

"Well, maybe if you didn't get so many people in the first place, you wouldn't have to pull this."

"If I didn't, who would?"

"You are a very contradictory person, you know that?" He ignored her and headed out the door. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Store." He said simply. She got up and followed. He looked back at her questioningly. "What are you doing?"

"Coming with you."

"Why?"

"Because I can."

"What if I told you, you can't?"

"Then I'd tell you that I'm the coach and I can do whatever the hell I want." He laughed before grabbing her hand and pulling her along.

"If you're going to come with, then you have to hurry up."

"I was doing just fine on my own," she protested, but did nothing to stop him.

"I don't know. Maybe you should start practicing with the team." Now it was Shadow's turn to laugh.

"If you want to try, go ahead. Good luck with that, though."

"It wouldn't be hard."

"Oh, you have no idea just how hard it would be." Sometime during the conversation, they had reached the convenience store. Hiruma dragged her inside and immediately grabbed four sodas. "Four? You're getting one for everybody?"

"We'll see if they deserve them or not."

"Nobody's ever deserving in your opinion."

"You are." He responded seriously, causing Shadow to blush. He smirked and she punched him in the arm.

"You're such a jerk."

"I compliment you and this is how you repay me?"

"Shut up and get whatever you came here to get." She followed him as he grabbed a few other items. He stopped abruptly and she nearly ran into him.

"Damn it!" He yelled out suddenly.

"What?"

"They're out of sugarless gum." He pointed a gun at the cashier. Shadow sighed, setting her hand over the barrel and lowering it.

"We can come back later." He glared at the cashier again, but put the gun away (where he keeps all of them is a mystery to me). Shadow walked over to the counter and pulled out her wallet. "How much do we owe you?"

"N-n-nothing, just take it." She shrugged.

"Okay, cool. Let's go." Hiruma followed her out. She didn't stop until they got back to the school. "You think they got anyone?" She asked nodding in the direction of the clubhouse.

"No," he answered immediately.

"Have some faith. They might just surprise you."

"I doubt it."

"We'll see." Hiruma slammed the club door open, complaining-once again-about how the convenience store didn't have sugarless gum. Shadow rolled her eyes and went inside after him. When she saw that Sena had a marker on his section of the board, she smirked at Hiruma. He ignored her and finished putting his own up.

"We did it!" Sena and Kurita shouted together, causing Hiruma to kick them, yelling about how he was the only one who did anything and that they were useless bastards. Shadow laughed, knowing the truth. She would never tell, but she would tease him about it. He would complain-as always- but he really wouldn't mind.

"So," Shadow started when she and Hiruma were alone. "Tomorrow's the big day. You think we'll win?"

"I know we will."

"You're going to make him play, aren't you?" (Referring to Sena, for you slow people out there)

"Of course."

"He's not properly trained. He shouldn't be playing yet."

"We won't use him until we have to."

"That's not the point."

"I know, but we don't have a choice." Hiruma's voice was very quiet as he spoke. Shadow wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Things would be so much easier if I didn't care about you." He turned, not breaking her grip, and rested his forehead against hers.

"Then why do you?"

"Beats me. But I do love a challenge." She tried to sound cocky, but it was hard in this position.

"I'm a challenge?" Somehow, though, he managed to pull it off.

"Oh yeah." He kissed her then, without any warning. He just leaned down and captured her lips with his own. She was surprised, but kissed back without hesitation. When he finally pulled away, they were both breathing hard. "What was that for?"

"Luck," he answered simply.

"You don't need any luck." He smiled, not a smirk, but a true smile. One that nobody but her ever saw.

"Maybe not, but it helps."

"You'd never say that if we weren't alone." He scoffed.

"Of course not. I have a reputation to uphold."

"You're impossible." Shadow told him, shaking her head. Just then, her cell phone started ringing and she swore before answering it. "Hello?" Hiruma listened closely and could hear the person on the other line.

"Shadow! How are you? I'm not bothering you, am I?" He could tell that the voice was female, but he didn't recognize it.

"Andy, what are you doing? It's like 6:00 in the morning there."

"Yeah, but I couldn't sleep anymore. I'm just so excited."

"You do know this is a long distance call, right?"

"Yeah, so?" The girl sounded confused.

"So, you have to pay extra for long distance."

"Oh shit! Are you serious?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Um, I've gotta go. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah, later. Bye." Shadow hung up her phone, rubbing her temples. "Why am I friends with that idiot?"

"I feel the same way about the fatty." Shadow jumped slightly, having forgotten that Hiruma was standing right there. "What was she so excited about?"

"Oh, nothing." He looked at her skeptically. "Really, it's stupid. She always gets like this."

"About what?"

"She's a swimming nut. Always on the swimming and diving teams at school, and now she's got a job as a lifeguard. Why she suddenly felt the need to call and tell me, I'll probably never know, but she did." She glanced at the time. "I should probably go."

"I'll walk you home."

"You don't need to do that."

"I know, but my house is in the same direction as yours."

"So basically, you're not doing it out of the kindness of your heart, but because it's convenient?" She asked sarcastically, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah."

"Whatever." They walked in silence until they reached Shadow's house. She stood on her tip toes (she's not as short as Sena, but she's still much shorter than Hiruma) and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow." With that, she went up the walkway and entered her house, closing the door softly behind her.

"You're late." Came a voice from the kitchen. Shadow stuck her head in the doorway and looked at the dark-haired girl sitting at the table.

"Yeah, sorry. Football stuff." She shrugged, and the other girl rolled her eyes. "You coming to the game?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." They exchanged grins, which were very much the same when one looked closely.

A/N: The next chapter will be the game, plus you'll learn who the girl at the end of this chapter is. Also, the part with the phone conversation is because I promised my friend that I would put her in one of my chapters, so I did. Her name isn't really Andy, that's just what we call her.


	4. The First Game

The Devil's Shadow

Author's Note: Because it is important for this chapter (and I have nothing better to say here), I will be giving you a Nihongo (Japanese) lesson. My character's name is Shadow Callie, which is English. In Japanese, it would be Shyado (Shi-yah-doe) Kari (Kah-ree). Also, there is no r or l sound in Japanese, it's kind of a combination of the l and r, which has a completely different sound (but it sounds more like the r).

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my character.

Shadow had been in a sound sleep when she was suddenly woken by an alarm that she had not set. She jolted awake, and glared at the intruder who had dared to wake her up.

"Hiruma, go away!" She rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, only to have the covers ripped away.

"I told you to call me Yoichi." He commented, annoyed.

"Well, I like your last name better."

"What if I started calling you Callie all the time?"

"Actually, I wouldn't mind." She sat up, putting herself right into his personal space (hey, he does it to everyone else, why not mix things up a bit?). "It's sounds so boring in English, but in Japanese, it's nicer." She gently ran her hand down his chest. "Much nicer." Hiruma grabbed her hand, visibly shaken by her sudden action.

"Then maybe I _should_ start calling you that." He smirked and she matched it with one of her own.

"I wouldn't be opposed to it." It was at this moment when someone cleared their throat from the direction of the doorway. They both turned to see the dark-haired girl leaning on the doorframe, her eyebrow raised.

"Good morning Hiruma, you're here rather early." He nodded in acknowledgement.

"I came to get her," he pointed at Shadow. "For the game."

"Okay. I'll see you there, then." She left (I'll properly introduce her later) and Hiruma threw clothes at Shadow.

"Get ready." She didn't move. "Well?"

"Um, are you going to leave?" He looked at her casually.

"No." Shadow threw her shoe at him. He dodged and headed out the door, laughing. She quickly changed and when she looked outside, he was right there, waiting for her. They went to get Kurita for his penalty game and then to the train station.

Kurita was late, of course, but once he got there, they all got on the train. Shadow watched Hiruma put a sign on the car that said that cleaning was in progress and to find another car. She raised her eyebrow at him.

"Is this really necessary?" He glanced at her, but didn't stop taping the corners.

"You don't approve?"

"I didn't say that."

"Then why did you ask?"

"Because I'm the coach and I can do whatever I want. Haven't we gone over this?" He didn't respond, just walked into the car, knowing she would follow, which she did. They sat next to each other, but no one dared question them.

Once they got to the field, Shadow donned a baseball cap and wandered over to the bench. She ignored the team's (the annoying ones, at least) cries of fury after discovering that the opposing team always brought their girlfriends to the games. She was, however, irked when the captain of the other team commented that they didn't have any girls on their side.

"What is it with men and needing supposedly cute girls cheering them on for everything?" Shadow asked when Hiruma sat down on the bench after getting the Cupid's girls to cheer for the Devil Bats.

"Those fucking bastards? They're just stupid, hormonal teenagers." She turned away from him.

"And you aren't?"

"No, I'm not." He paused. "You're not jealous, are you?" He smirked and she scoffed at him.

"Me? Jealous of those bimbos? Yeah right. They probably couldn't even _spell_ football, let alone understand the rules." Hiruma's smirk widened.

"You are jealous," he slung an arm around her shoulders (once again, no one dared question his action). "Don't worry. I only care about the game." She smiled bitterly.

"Good to know." He gave her a pointed look.

"I wasn't finished."

"Oh?" She still had a bitter tone, but her expression had turned curious.

"I was going to say that I only care about the game…and you." Shadow blinked in surprise.

"Really?" He nodded, but didn't give her the chance to react as he overheard Sena and Kurita's conversation.

"They scored on you 99 times?" Sena was asking in disbelief. Kurita tried to explain before Hiruma cut him off.

"At least learn the damn rules," he said. The explanation went on and Shadow stopped paying attention, until Hiruma suddenly stood and grabbed Sena by the back of his shirt, hoisting him up. "Let's put him in today's game, after all." She rolled her eyes, knowing where the conversation was headed, so she tuned it out again (mostly because I just don't want to write it all out).

The game started and Sena sat next to Shadow on the bench, holding a video camera. She looked at him and he shrunk away. Sighing, she put her foot on the bench and leaned on her knee.

"I don't bite, you know." She said suddenly. Sena looked at her, surprised. "You don't have to be afraid of me. I, unlike some people," she looked towards the football field. "Don't carry guns around and randomly shoot at people. Nor do I force people to do my bidding, most of the time, at least."

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered.

"Don't worry about it. It's not the first time." The sat in relative silence until half-time. She once again ignored the conversation and explanations between Sena, Kurita, and Hiruma. She did look up as Sena sat down hard next to her, clearly frightened. "What's wrong with you?" She asked.

"He-he's go-going to m-make me p-play." He pointed to Hiruma, who was (with the rest of the team) back in the game.

"It's not that bad, you know. I've played some football. I think it's fun."

"You've played football?" She looked at him, annoyed.

"What? You think just because I'm a girl, I can't play football?" Sena shook his head frantically.

"No, no. That's not what I meant…I mean…what I meant to say was…um…" She put her hand on his shoulder, stopping his rant.

"Hey, cool it. I'm not mad."

"S-sorry." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Stop apologizing." They were silent until Shadow looked to the field as Kurita tackled someone to the ground right in front of them, scaring Sena (oh, the poor kid). The Cupids then kicked a field goal with only a few seconds left in the game. Hiruma then dragged Sena behind a building to 'punish' him for giving the track guy (she doesn't remember his name. Does anyone ever?) artificial turf cleats.

"Why do I put up with these idiots?" She asked herself. Suddenly, someone came speeding onto the field. Shadow rolled her eyes again (she's doing that a lot, isn't she?) as Hiruma introduced him as Eyeshield 21, the light-speed running back.

Unsurprisingly, Eyeshield scored a touchdown and won them the game. Also unsurprisingly, before putting him in to score said touchdown, Hiruma got rid of Shin and Sakuraba by sending screaming girls at them (or at least, that's what got rid of Sakuraba, what got rid of Shin was a mystery to them). What was surprising, though, was when Sena's friend came, asking for him.

"Hiruma killed him around back." One of the players told her.

"Oh, no." Shadow mumbled. After an eventful rush of athletes after him, Sena managed to get to the back of the building in time. The girl, Mamori, Shadow was sure that was her name, challenged Hiruma for hurting Sena. "Even better." She muttered sarcastically. Then Hiruma convinced Mamori to join the football team as well and she wanted to slap him.

Then, after Kurita's rant about how they were definitely going to the Christmas Bowl this year (Shadow believes it too, she's just heard it too many times), Hiruma announced that they were playing the Ojo White Knights next, causing Kurita and Sena to start freaking out.

"Oh, please. You're pathetic, getting upset over something like that." Came a voice from behind them. They all turned and Sena's eyes widened. There stood the dark-haired girl that Shadow lived with.

"You-you two look the same." The two girls looked at each other and frowned.

"Not really," one started.

"Yeah, I don't see it," said the other. "Oh, you haven't met Sena yet, have you." Shadow asked the girl. She then turned to Sena. "This is my sister, Kisa."

"Your sister? That explains why you look alike." Sena rationalized.

"Actually," Shadow continued. "We're not related. Even so, she's still my annoying big sister." That earned her a sharp smack to the back of the head and several rude comments were exchanged between the two.

Most of the team had left by then, but those that stayed (that weren't Hiruma, Kurita, or Sena) were drooling over the two. One of the boys tried to flirt with them, and he was quickly dispatched (to the hospital, that is. They don't take kindly to that behavior). Then, everyone else dispersed, leaving only Shadow, Kisa, and Hiruma.

"We should go." Shadow said and Kisa nodded.

"I agree. You coming, Hiruma?"

"No, I'm going to stay for a while."

"Okay," Shadow smiled at him. "I'll see you tomorrow then." He didn't respond, so they left him there. He watched them go, before getting to his business.

A/N: Okay, that was a long one. I feel I should add on to what I said at the beginning. Kisa's name is already Japanese and she has the same last name as Shadow. Her name is pronounced as it is seen, Kisa (Kee-sah). Also, she's older than Shadow and she adopted her as her sister some time before. I'll leave it at that.


	5. Weight Training and Teddy Bears

The Devil's Shadow

Author's Note: I really should be updating one of my other stories, but…it's the Super Bowl. I _have_ to update this story while I'm watching the Super Bowl. I can't wait to see the Packers kick the Steelers' asses!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my character.

Shadow didn't ride back with the rest of the team, she never did. She went home with Kisa and met with them in the morning for practice. She went into the clubhouse right away, only to see pastries scattered on the floor and Hiruma showing them the plans for the next game.

She watched Mamori challenge Hiruma for bullying Sena and rolled her eyes. Then, somehow, it turned into a challenge for Mamori to answer three questions about the rules of football. Kurita was teaching Sena the rules on the other side of the room. When it came to the final question, Hiruma suddenly ordered them to practice.

"You're coming too, damn coach." He told Shadow, grabbing her by the front of her shirt and dragging her along. The others quickly followed, Mamori protesting the whole time.

"You can't treat her like that," she was saying. "She's the coach." Shadow held up her hand.

"It's okay. He's not hurting me. If he was, he wouldn't be doing it." Sena had a look of relief on his face, as if reassured that Hiruma wasn't as bad as everyone made him out to be. Shadow didn't want him to be misinformed, so she continued. "I'd kick his ass."

"Like you could." Hiruma told her pointedly, causing Shadow to laugh.

"You know I could, and you know I would." Sena was getting more freaked out by the minute and Shadow thought it best to not continue the conversation. Luckily, Hiruma felt the same way-this time, at least.

They got to the gym and Kurita explained how to bench press. Shadow had to try _really_ hard not to laugh at Sena only being able to lift 10 kg. It didn't help that Mamori could lift 20 kg. Finally, she couldn't hold it back after seeing Sena's face from watching Hiruma and Kurita. She busted out laughing and immediately received a dirty look from Hiruma.

"What's so funny, damn coach?" Shadow waved him away with one hand and covered her mouth with the other. She regained her bearings just in time, as Hiruma threw a 10 kg weight at her. She caught it by the top, one-handed.

"What the hell was that for?" She yelled at him. He snickered.

"You caught it didn't you?"

"So? What if I hadn't?"

"Then you'd be fucked." Shadow frowned, then started laughing again as she looked at the shocked expressions on Sena and Mamori's faces.

"You-you're r-really strong." Sena stammered. Shadow looked at the weight in her hand.

"This? This is nothing." She walked over to the bar, which still had Kurita's 160 kg on it (she's not laying down, she's standing behind it), and picked it up, also one-handed. "Now this," she said as she curled her arm and brought the weight to her chest. "This might be considered impressive. Maybe, I'm not really sure."

"H-h-ho-how?" Sena could barely get out. She shrugged and carefully put the bar back into its cradle.

"You don't need to worry about that. The only thing you need to worry about, is being able to lift this," she told him, holding up the 10 kg weight again. She wasn't entirely sure that she had been heard, as Sena's face still held the same amount of shock. Mamori had calmed a bit, but was still clearly surprised. Hiruma just smirked before ordering them all back to practice.

After the rest of morning practice, which mainly consisted of Sena trying and failing to catch the football, Shadow was sitting in the clubroom, having not gotten the chance to earlier. Hiruma then burst in, carrying said football that Sena had been using.

"What are you doing? Go to class." Shadow told him, exasperated.

"I will, later." She scoffed at his answer. There was a silence after that, which extended until Shadow couldn't handle it anymore.

"Did you really mean what you said? After you threw that weight at me earlier. If I hadn't caught it?" Now it was Hiruma's turn to scoff.

"Of course not, you idiot. I knew you'd catch it."

"But what if I hadn't?" She asked the same question as earlier. For that, she received a kick into the back of her chair. "What the hell?"

"There was no chance that you wouldn't have caught it."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do." Shadow blinked in surprise. She looked at Hiruma, who had turned away from her, pretending to look at his computer (she knows him well enough to know that he's not really paying it any mind).

"Okay, I trust your judgment." He turned back to her and she smiled at him. He raised his eyebrow.

"Why are you looking at me with that stupid grin?" Shadow's smile fell and she pouted. Hiruma laughed, causing her pout to deepen.

"You're such a jerk."

"Oh, I'm much worse than that."

"No you're not. You may act tough, but you're just a big, soft teddy bear." She poked him in the chest with each word. He grabbed her wrist and held on when she tried to pull away.

"You think I'm a teddy bear?" She nodded happily and flattened her hand against his chest. "Well, I'll just have to show you otherwise." Shadow's eyes widened as Hiruma picked her up and threw her over her shoulder.

"H-hey! Put me down!" She couldn't see, but she knew he was smirking.

"Not until I teach you just what kind of person I am."

"Can't you do this later? You have class and-"

"You think I care?"

"You should."

"Well, I don't."

"Well, I do."

"You're not in a position to order me around."

"You're a student, I'm your coach. I have every right to order you around."

"I didn't say you don't have the right. I just said you're not in the position."

"You can't just walk out of here carrying me."

"Who said anything about leaving?"

"Whatever you're planning, you'd better knock it off right now. You have a game coming up and I don't want to have to kick your ass."

"You wouldn't do that."

"I won't if you put me down."

"That is _not_ going to happen." Shadow hit him once on his back, then sagged. Hiruma readjusted his grip, his hand moving over her butt, causing her to yelp.

"That is sexual harassment." He laughed, but didn't respond. "You're still just a teddy bear, though. A very much male teddy bear, but a teddy bear none-the-less." Suddenly, Shadow was dropped onto the table in the middle of the room. "Um, ow."

Meanwhile, in the school, Mamori had noticed that Hiruma was not there (I don't know if they have the same class, but she would probably notice either way, so I went with it). At her lunch period, she went to the team's clubhouse to try and find him. Right before she opened the door, someone else did instead.

"Oh, hello Ms. Callie." Mamori said, surprised, but still very polite.

"Hello Mamori. I'm only a year older than you, so I'd rather you call me Shadow." Mamori was hesitant to call a teacher by her first name, but eventually agreed. It was then that she noticed that Shadow was rubbing her back.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, Hiruma dropped me on my back." Mamori gasped and went to move past Shadow and into the clubhouse, but she was stopped. "You don't need to yell at him, that's already been taken care of."

"All right," Mamori replied, defeated. "But he shouldn't be allowed to treat people like that."

"You can't win this one, trust me." She motioned for Mamori to walk with her, knowing that Hiruma was still in the clubhouse and would be listening. Once they were a ways away, Shadow sighed. "He really is a nice guy once you get to know him. He just has a weird way of showing it."

"But, he's always hurting people and blackmailing them to do what he wants."

"I know. He wouldn't do it if he thought he didn't have to."

"He _doesn't_ have to! That's what I don't understand."

"You just have to trust me on this one, okay?" Mamori sighed, unsure.

"Okay," she finally agreed. Then the bell rang and her eyes widened. "Oh no, I'm late!"

"It's fine. Come on, I'll explain to your teacher that we were having a very important conversation." Mamori gave the biggest smile she could muster and Shadow couldn't help but smile back.

A/N: And that's the end of that. It was mostly a filler chapter with a little bit at the beginning from the manga. Also, I only have one thing that I really want to say here, and that is: The Packers won the Super Bowl! Wooooohooooooo!…okay, I'm done.


	6. Annoying and Embarrassing

The Devil's Shadow

Author's Note: I haven't updated in a week…oops. That wasn't supposed to happen. I was busy on Tuesday (in Green Bay for the Super Bowl celebration. Four hour drive-ugh-but so worth it) and I don't know where the rest of the week went. But I'm updating now, and that's all that matters…I think.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my character.

The rest of the time up until the game was filled with nothing but practice, and Shadow tried her best to stay out of the way. On the morning of the game, however, she was woken up (again) by Hiruma. This time, however, he didn't bother coming in quietly. He slammed the door open, causing Shadow to fall off her bed.

"Ow!" She looked at him. "What the hell was that for?"

"You overslept." Came his simple answer. Shadow looked at her clock.

"What? No I didn't! The game doesn't start for three hours!" A shout then sounded from somewhere down the hall.

"Shut up! It's too early for this shit!"

"See? I told you." Shadow complained from the floor, where she still had not gotten up from. Hiruma rolled his eyes and yanked her up. "I hate you," she said plainly.

"No, you don't." Shadow was about to respond, but she was stopped by his kiss (as cheesy as that sounds).

"I still hate you." She told him, after she had pulled away.

"You didn't hate me the other day, in the team clubhouse." Shadow's face became a bit red and she turned away.

"Actually, I did. You just made me an offer that I couldn't refuse."

"Really? Because you were saying differently when-"His sentence was cut off as Shadow slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Hey, Kisa is right down the hall. She doesn't need-nor does she probably want-to hear about it." Hiruma grabbed her wrist and pulled it away from his face, but he didn't let it go.

"She's too far away."

"You've been here enough times to know that she can hear anything when she really wants to, kind of like you." Shadow laughed. "So, why did you come this early?"

"You'll see," was his cryptic response. He grabbed her some clothes and threw them to her.

"I love how comfortable you are digging through my clothes." She told him sarcastically. He shrugged and, once again, did not leave the room. "Do you mind?"

"It's nothing I haven't seen." Shadow's jaw dropped and she quickly shoved him out into the hallway, blushing the whole time.

"God, you are so annoying!" She slammed the door, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the laughter that was sounding throughout the house. She knew Kisa had heard, and she definitely knew she was going to get an earful from her later. "I am going to kill you," she said when she finally opened the door.

"She would have found out eventually."

"I can't believe you did that. You said you would never use that against me. You _promised_."

"And I never will. She's your sister, it doesn't count." He waved away her concerns.

"Why, of all people, did I have to fall in love with the devil?" She wasn't really talking to him, but he responded anyways.

"You weren't given the choice."

"What do you mean?" Hiruma wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I would have done anything to have you." Shadow smiled.

"I knew you were soft, somewhere deep down."

"Only for you."

"You are so cheesy."

"And _you_ are mine." She let out a small chuckle and leaned into his embrace.

"That's right. I'm the devil's Shadow." After a minute of comfortable silence, Shadow felt the need to break it. "Except give up football."

"What?"

"You said that you would have done anything to have me. You wouldn't have given up football."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you. You love football, and I don't blame you. I wouldn't give up football for you either."

"You don't even play football."

"And your point is…?"

"You're something else." He said, laughing.

"Yes, I am." Shadow suddenly looked solemn.

"That's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I know…" She then brightened up. "Well? Are we going or not?" Hiruma rolled his eyes and dragged her out of the house to the school. "Why are we going to the school and not the train station?"

"You'll see."

"Something tells me I've heard that before." Shadow said sarcastically, knowing full-well that he had said it earlier.

"That sarcasm of yours is going to get you hurt one of these days."

"It hasn't so far."

"You're pushing your luck."

"I think I've got plenty left over."

"And when you run out?"

"Then I guess I'm screwed."

"No, that's already been taken care of." She punched him in the arm.

"Oh my god! You are such a guy."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Right now, yes." Sometime during the conversation, they had arrived at the school. Most of the players were there, but the few that weren't-Shadow knew-would be severely punished. Shadow did not speak to Hiruma once they got there, but instead, elected to converse with Mamori.

"Good morning, Shadow." She greeted politely, as always.

"Hello, Mamori. Are you excited for today's game?"

"Yes, I brought some food for everyone." She said happily. "I hope they like it."

"If they don't, I'll shove it down their throats."

"Oh, no! Don't do that."

"You worked really hard on it, I can tell. That effort should be appreciated, by _everyone_."

"Thank you, but I wouldn't mind if someone didn't want to eat it."

"That's why you're such a good person, and I'm not."

"That's not true. You're so nice." Shadow sighed.

"Once you get to know me, you'll think differently."

"I could never think anything bad about you."

"Only because I'm a teacher."

"No, because I know that you're a good person."

"You're a very kind girl."

"Thank you." The conversation might have continued, but the last of the players had arrived and Hiruma was setting them up for punishment.

"Oh god. What is he doing?" Shadow face-palmed. Mamori jumped up, furious at the sight before them. Hiruma had just strapped headbands-with bones hanging from them-onto the poor saps.

"He can't do that!" Mamori cried, about to charge over and argue with him. Shadow quickly stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"Just…leave it. It's better this way."

"How can you say that? That dog could kill them!"

"No. Cerberus is really a sweet dog, and Hiruma would never hurt them intentionally." Mamori hesitated.

"I don't know."

"Please, just trust me." There was another hesitation, but Shadow already knew that she would agree.

"Okay." Then Hiruma pulled out carts and told them all-except for those that were late-to get in.

"Um, maybe you should say something. This is too weird."

A/N: Okay, I have to end here. It's 1:00 in the morning and I have school today. I should really, probably go to bed. The next chapter will be the game and I actually get to use the manga on that one!


	7. The Ojo Game Part 1

The Devil's Shadow

Author's Note: I just received the weirdest review ever. It was a total flame, and quite frankly, I couldn't care less at what anyone says about my story, because I'm writing it for my own entertainment, not anyone else's. So, thank you, Anon, that was _the_ funniest (and dumbest) fucking thing I've read all week (it would be all month, but I read some pretty damn funny birthday cards two weeks ago.)

And for anyone that really cares, it _is_ perfectly legal to be a teacher at age 17 (even though Shadow is 18 now) as long as they have really high grades and a college degree (both of which Shadow has). And it will be revealed later on why Shadow moved to Japan, and it has nothing to do with her job.

Disclaimer: I claim absolutely no ownership to anything besides my character.

Shadow sat in the back cart with Mamori and Sena, not bothering to hide her irritation. It didn't take long to get to the field, because the four boys that had been late were running for their lives from Cerberus.

"This is ridicules," she mumbled to herself, about half-way into the trip.

"How have you dealt with this for the past year?" Sena whispered to her nervously.

"You don't 'deal' with it. You get used to it."

"That's not right," Mamori said defiantly (she does that a lot, doesn't she?). "You shouldn't just stand by and let him do this."

"I don't just 'stand by.' Sometimes, I help." Mamori looked at her in disbelief. "Relax, I'm joking. I refuse to help him in his little schemes, but remember what we talked about a couple days ago?" She nodded. "It's best not to question it too much."

"But, I _can't_ just stand by and watch."

"Oh, go ahead and argue. He won't hurt you, and it's some of the best entertainment I've ever had." Sena had stopped contributing to the conversation as soon as Mamori had cut in. He was just sitting there, looking miserable. He stayed that way-and Mamori eventually joined in-until they reached the stadium.

After getting ready for the game (which was still two hours away), the White Knights were enjoying one last meal before the game. The Deimon players' stomachs began to rumble (or 'yell at them,' as I would say) and Mamori pulled out the rice balls she had made.

"Here," Mamori said to Shadow, holding up the box to her-once all of the players had taken some, that is. Shadow looked at her, surprised.

"Um…thanks. Did someone not want theirs?"

"No, I told you that I made some for everyone."

"I didn't think you meant me too."

"You're part of the team."

"Yeah, but I'm just the coach. I don't really do much."

"You deserve this as much as anyone."

"Thanks," Shadow said again, taking one of the rice balls out the box. There was only one left after that, which Cerberus immediately claimed as his own. Shadow wandered over to where Hiruma was sitting, away from everyone else. "This is good, don't you think?" She asked casually as she sat down next to him.

"It's okay," he replied.

"You're hopeless."

"What's that suppose to mean?" He asked, pointing a gun at her. She rolled her eyes and pushed the barrel of the gun away from her face.

"I mean, that you'll never learn to be nice to people. Even those that really want to be your friend."

"Why would I do that?"

"Why the hell not?" Hiruma was about to respond, when Shadow suddenly stood. "Hey, Mamori! Hiruma thinks that your rice balls are amazing and he wants you to make them for every game!" Mamori had a confused look on her face, an expression which soon turned to panic when Hiruma grabbed Shadow by the collar and yanked her back to the ground and said something that she couldn't make out.

"You're lucky there are too many witnesses, or I just might have killed you," was what he said.

"Oh, lighten up…Besides, even if you could kill me-which you couldn't, by the way-you wouldn't do it." They had had this conversation many times before, and this most certainly would not be the last time.

The game started shortly after that. Right before it did, however, Sena seemed to have run off. Hiruma-to say the least-was not happy (more like, he was pissed beyond imaginable) and sent Cerberus after him. Nobody but Shadow had seen Hiruma pull Sena's hair from his collection (I don't even _want _to know about that part), so nobody else knew that it was a complete and total surprise when Cerberus pulled Eyeshield 21 around the corner.

"Well, that was unexpected." Shadow commented quietly to Hiruma. "It looks like he's really getting into it." He didn't respond, but instead went up to Sena and kicked him really hard in the back. Shadow then rubbed her own back, remembering all of the times she herself had been the victim of those kicks.

"The time has come for the kickoff." The announcer started. "I wonder how many points the White Knights will win by."

"Okay, _that_ is so not cool." Shadow said to herself. Next to her on the bench was Mamori, who smiled in sympathy.

On the field, Hiruma had caught the kick and they started their first play. It was simple enough-all he did was give the ball to Eyeshield. Unfortunately, Eyeshield 21 may have been a Notre Dame hero, but Sena had absolutely _no_ idea what the hell he was doing. An Ojo player quickly knocked the ball out of his hands. The only good thing that came out of it, was that Kurita got the ball back (basically, by falling on it-but hey, it worked!).

"That was close." Mamori sighed in relief.

"Too close." Shadow replied, slightly irritated. She watched Hiruma correct Sena on how he holds the ball (can that really be called 'correcting'? It was more like he was beating the information into him).

The second time around, the play went more smoothly. The line held and Eyeshield got through to score a touchdown. The Devil Bats were the only ones cheering, everyone else was shocked into silence. Shadow was forced to hold back her laughter when Sena had to talk to the team for the first time as Eyeshield. It didn't help when Mamori started rambling about how she wished Sena was there to see how impressive Eyeshield was.

After the touchdown, Hiruma decided to go for the kick. Well, that's what he let everyone think, at least. Eyeshield tried to run, but he was pushed out of bounds. The next kickoff didn't go over so well (because Hiruma can't kick to save his life) and Ojo started their offence. Shadow was forced to cover her ears when the cheering started, it was so loud.

"Everyone sure loves Sakuraba." Mamori had to shout her comment.

"I know. I think my ears are bleeding." Shadow yelled back.

The play started, but Shadow was too busy to watch because a bunch of Deimon's players were surrounding the bench, all trying to talk to Mamori. She was giving them a vague lesson on the teams' formations and Shadow eventually got fed up. She was about to say something, when a player pointed out that Deimon was in a goal line defensive formation. The pass was caught and the crowd erupted into cheers again (did they ever stop?), even though it was only a ten yard gain (which isn't very impressive).

After three more successful passes, Hiruma sent Eyeshield to intercept. Nobody thought that it was possible, it was clear that even Hiruma had his doubts, but they went for it anyways, and it worked. Well, it kind of worked; he dropped it after he caught it, but Hiruma was right there. He took the ball and ran, only to pass it back to Eyeshield. He almost made it for another touchdown, but he was forced out of bounds.

The next play was another trick, and they gained five more yards. Then, Ojo's coach decided to put a stop to it all. He put in Shin, the strongest and fastest linebacker in the history of Japanese football.

"Oh no," Shadow said slowly. "They're in trouble now." Mamori didn't comment, she just looked on nervously.

A/N: I have to end it here. I have homework to do, so I'll finish the game in the next chapter. I was hoping to get the whole game in this one, but that's not going to happen, so we'll all just have to wait (hey, you're not the only ones who want to know what's going to happen-even I have no idea at this point).


	8. The Ojo Game Part 2

The Devil's Shadow

Author's Note: This is the second half of the game (actually, it's not even half-time in the game yet. This is the second half of the story for the game). This time, I'm pretty sure I can get through the whole thing.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but my character.

For a moment, there was complete silence in the stadium. Then, Hiruma had to open his big mouth. He shoved poor Sena right into Shin's path, causing them to crash into each other (well, Sena was the only one affected by the contact, so I suppose they didn't really crash into each other. More so, Sena crashed into Shin, while Shin just kind of stood there).

To make matters worse, Hiruma decided to announce to the entire stadium that they were going to pass the ball on the next play. Shadow, still sitting on the bench, felt the overwhelming urge to hit him. Mamori, seated next to her, looked like she would like nothing more than to do the same.

Unsurprisingly, he didn't pass the ball, opting instead to hand the ball off to Eyeshield 21 (was there really any doubt?). Eyeshield broke through the center and past Shin. It looked like he was going to make it all the way. Mamori was cheering, but Shadow wasn't fooled. Shin suddenly turned, reached out, and tackled Eyeshield to the ground.

"That's right," Mamori mumbled to herself when Eyeshield hadn't gotten up. "This is his first time being tackled."

"He'll be fine," Shadow reassured her. Eyeshield finally did get to his feet, while Hiruma had already started barking orders to the rest of the team. The next play went much like the first, except…Shin didn't tackle Eyeshield, but held him up and stole the ball from him, easily scoring a touchdown. "I hate to admit it," Shadow sighed. "But that was truly pathetic."

The Ojo team continued to dominate, and Deimon was helpless to stop them. By the end of the first half, the score was 35 to 6. Eyeshield 21 had disappeared as soon the announcement was made. Mamori started helping people immediately. She was passing out water and re-wrapping players' joints for them. One of the players came up to Shadow and asked her a question, prompting the rest of the team to look up, curious as to the answer.

"Hey, coach? What's football like in America?" Shadow looked up at him, then at everyone else as they were watching her.

"The game itself isn't any different, but, in America, football is the biggest sport and _everyone_ wants to be on the team. The first game is huge, it's the homecoming game. They end school early for a pep rally before and there's a big dance the next day. And they always have a big half-time show. Usually the school's band plays and there's cheerleaders and dancers and some weird guy in a mascot outfit. They always get the crowd involved, it gets _so_ loud sometimes. Where I'm from, they don't ever play games at the high school, the fields are too small and there's not enough bleachers for everyone."

"Did you say 'fields,' like, more than one?" Someone, Shadow wasn't entirely sure who, asked her.

"Yeah, there's three of them. The soccer team uses one for their games, but it _is_ a football field."

"The soccer team doesn't even have it's own field?" One of the soccer players asked, clearly distraught.

"Uh…not really, no." Shadow was relieved when Sena suddenly ran up, taking the attention from her and onto himself. He told them that Eyeshield had left and quickly tried to correct himself when the team started getting down on themselves for not being any help. Sena soon ran off again, when Mamori wasn't looking, and returned as Eyeshield 21.

The second half started and it went much like the end of the first half. Ojo continued to score and the game was starting to look hopeless for Deimon. The only upside to the situation was that slowly-_very_ slowly-Eyeshield was becoming steadily faster. Hiruma had him sit out for Deimon's defense and a determined look spread across his face (or, at least, what Shadow could see of his face).

"No matter how hard you try, there will _always_ be someone that's better than you." Sena looked at her, his expression turning to surprise. "So, go out there and prove that Shin _isn't _the best." Sena's face stayed locked in surprise, before it slowly melted into a smile, with a bit of worry.

"Thanks, I needed to hear that."

"No you didn't. You would have done just fine on your own."

"Well, thanks anyway." Shadow smiled back at him.

"No problem." Sena's confidence was soon shattered when Hiruma announced that he was going home. Even Shadow was shocked that he was giving up completely, because she could tell that he was absolutely serious. Sena confronted him, saying that he could beat Shin with just a little more. That settled it, and the game was on once more.

A few more plays went by, none with success. Shin just kept tackling Eyeshield, but it was clear that he was getting faster. It was also clear-to anyone who was paying attention-that Shin was getting aggravated. Then, something terrible happened. Well, it wasn't really that bad, but Sakuraba's fans thought it was pretty terrible. For some reason, Sakuraba had run out onto the field and Eyeshield-who was concentrating on running and not where he was going-crashed into him, sending them both sprawling.

Thankfully for Deimon, Eyeshield wasn't hurt, but Sakuraba came out of it with a broken collarbone. He was taken off to the hospital and the next play started without a problem. This time, Eyeshield broke straight through the center, facing Shin head-on. When it seemed like Shin was going to tackle him again, Eyeshield suddenly burst ahead of him and scored a touchdown.

"He did it! He beat Shin!" Came the shouts from all of the Deimon players, until Eyeshield suddenly collapsed. They all rushed over, but Hiruma sent them away, saying it was just fatigue. The game continued-and finished-without him.

Mamori gave him a bottle of water, which prompted him to thank her, with a slip-of-the-tongue. In a cruel twist of fate, Mamori couldn't make the connection and assumed that Sena had talked to Eyeshield about her. Mamori then asked where Sena was and Hiruma told her that he was taking pictures from the bleachers. Shadow tuned out the rest of the conversation, unsure if she could restrain her laughter.

The game ended with the final score being 68 to 12. Ojo had won, not that it was a huge shock to anyone. It was, however, still upsetting to the team. Kurita started crying and Hiruma defended him (well, that's what Kurita thought he was doing, most everyone else knew better than to think that) when the camera crew wanted to interview (more like insult) him.

"You think this is going to get people to join?" Shadow asked, once everyone started to leave.

"I know it will," Hiruma responded confidently.

"We have the whole summer to prepare."

"We need to start now. We'll never make it to the Christmas Bowl with this bunch."

"I know, but don't push it."

"They'll never try if I don't push them."

"They'll never survive if you _do_ push them. You expect too much from them."

"We're here to win, and nothing else."

"You think I don't know that? You think I don't want to win just as much as you do?"

"Then what do _you_ think I should do?"

"Be patient. But, of course, you won't listen to me." Hiruma took a step closer, a menacing look on his face. To those that were watching, it looked like an argument that could soon turn into violence, but that's not really what was happening.

"If you think I'm going to fall for that, you're sadly mistaken."

"I don't know what you're talking about. You asked for my opinion and I gave it. I just know you well enough to know that you won't listen to me, no matter what I say." Then, something that might be considered a miracle happened. Hiruma-still keeping up the appearance of being angry-sighed.

"Fine, I'll wait, but only for a little while. And I won't stop pushing the team until they drop."

"I knew you'd see it my way eventually." Shadow had always known, throughout the course of the argument, that he would compromise with her. He would never do that with anyone else but her. Shadow knew that too, and she used it against him as often as she could, mainly because she knew it annoyed the hell out of him. "I have to go now, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," he said, acting like he hadn't even heard her, but he had, and that too, Shadow was sure of.

A/N: So, that's the end of the game. I have to say, the part where Shadow was explaining about football in America was entirely true…at least at my high school…I don't really know about anywhere else. The next chapter will be whatever comes next in the manga.


	9. Renovations and Preparations

The Devil's Shadow

Author's Note: Ugh, I hate being sick. Sorry I haven't updated, I have had absolutely _no_ motivation to even try to write anything. But, I'm doing it now and that's all that matters…I think.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my character.

"Get out," was the greeting Shadow received as Hiruma burst into the clubhouse.

"Well, good morning to you too."

"Out," he said again, dragging her up from her seat and out the door. There were several construction workers waiting, one of whom she was quite familiar with.

"Hello Musashi, lovely to see you again." He nodded his own greeting before instructing his workers to start doing…whatever it was they were doing. "What are you planning on doing to the place?" She asked, turning to Hiruma.

"Renovating it," was his simple answer.

"No, I never would have guessed that." She replied sarcastically.

"Then why'd you ask?" Shadow didn't bother to retort. Instead, she just grabbed the blueprints out of his hands. Ignoring his protests and threats, she opened it…and immediately closed it again.

"I don't want to have anything to do with _that_." She told him bluntly. He shrugged and-after taking the blueprints back-went back to ordering around the construction crew. This lasted until Sena and Mamori showed up. While Mamori was admiring the pictures that 'Sena' took, Shadow walked up behind her and looked at the pictures over her shoulder.

"Nice shots," she commented.

"I know. I didn't realize that Sena was such a good photographer." Shadow-once again-had to stop herself from laughing. Mamori was incredibly smart, but she could be very dimwitted at times, such as now.

After Sena and Mamori had left for class, Shadow sighed and sat down on the grass. Cerberus suddenly came out of nowhere, laid down in front of her, rolled onto his back, and just stared at her, demanding to be pet. She complied, only because she couldn't resist that puppy-dog-eyes look (and yes, even Cerberus can pull that off if he really wants to).

Most passers-by kept walking, afraid that the 'demon dog' would come after them, but some others stopped and stared for a while-until Cerberus scared them off again-because the sight was just too strange. Hiruma was the one person who did neither of these things. He whistled-really loudly too-and threw a bone in the opposite direction, causing Cerberus to run off to get it.

"Was that really necessary?" Shadow asked him in as rude a tone as she could manage.

"Don't coddle him, it'll make him soft."

"Oh, give the poor little guy a break. He deserves it every once in a while with what you put him through."

"I thought you were a cat-person."

"I am, I'm a cat-person who loves dogs (this will make more sense later). I thought Cerberus wasn't even your dog. You always say he just follows you around for food." Hiruma scoffed.

"You of all people should know that's not true. If it was, he'd be following _you_ around, not me."

"True, very true. That dog does love his steak."

"You bring him one every day."

"I don't think he'd let me get away with not bringing him one."

"That's your fault."

"And I proudly take full credit for it." The silence that followed stretched on for a while, until something occurred to Shadow. "Hey, what are you doing? Get to class."

"I'm overseeing the renovation."

"Sure," she said sarcastically. "It's under control, now go. Shoo!" He did leave, but Shadow seriously doubted that he went to class (not that he needs to. He can sit through two seconds of the lesson and then he just knows everything). She didn't think too much of it, however, and as soon as Cerberus returned, she went back to petting him.

It wasn't until after school that she saw any of them again. She had spent part of the day doing whatever work that needed to be done-which, surprisingly, wasn't much that day. The rest of her time was spent with Cerberus and, when he took a break, Musashi. She invited him to come along when she decided to go and find Hiruma, but he declined.

Shadow found Hiruma in his old classroom with Kurita and Sena (whose classroom it currently was). Kurita was explaining the tournaments' set up to Sena (or at least, he was trying to. Sena's not the sharpest tool in the shed). Shadow just sat in the back of the room-for the most part, going unnoticed.

"Oh, Coach Callie. I didn't even see you there." Sena commented as he was about to leave.

"Gee, thanks."

"Oh, no. I didn't mean that!"

"I know exactly what you meant. You should go before your parents worry." He did leave the classroom, not without another apology, but he didn't leave the school grounds. After a while, Shadow noticed Hiruma had gone to stand by the window. She looked out to see Sena trying to do the ladder drill (and failing miserably, but at least he _was_ trying).

"There's no player in the world who has not lost before. However, the best players will give everything they've got to stand up again. Ordinary players take a while to get back on their feet. While losers will remain flat on the field."

"Darrel Royal, Texas Longhorns." Hiruma finished for her, never taking his eyes off the field.

"Yeah, he's not such a loser after all. This might just work."

"Not 'might,' it _will_ work." Shadow looked at Kurita, who was watching the two with a hopeful expression on his face.

"I believe you."

"You'd better. We're going to the Christmas Bowl."

"Yeah!" Kurita added. "And now, we'll have even more players to help us."

"And they'll all be _willing participants_." Shadow emphasized, looking at Hiruma. "Right?"

"Sure," he responded, acting uninterested.

"That'd better turn into a 'yes' before the team's tryouts."

"We'll see."

"Fine."

A/N: And that's where I'm going to end it, mostly because I can't think of anything else to write (I'm still feeling the effects of being sick). This was a bit of a short chapter, so I'll try to make the next one longer, whenever I get to writing the next one, that is. It shouldn't be too long a wait…I hope.


End file.
